Newcastle United confirmed XI v Urawa as £48m trio out & new signing absent amid Eddie Howe U-turn
Urawa Red Diamonds v Newcastle United: Eddie Howe’s line-up has been confirmed at the Saitama Stadium.
While Newcastle’s international players, Bruno Guimaraes, Fabian Schar, Miguel Almiron and Martin Dubravka, joined up with the squad in Japan, none have made the starting line-up with only Almiron named on the bench.
Despite Eddie Howe suggesting the likes of Joe Willock and Sean Longstaff would feature in Saturday’s friendly match rather than Wednesday’s - the duo have returned to the side in place of Jamal Lewis and Jamie Miley. Those are the two changes from the side that beat Hull City 2-0 last time out.
But there is still no place for Lloyd Kelly in the side, with Howe also suggesting Saturday’s match could see the defender make his debut against Yokohama F. Marinos.
“I think you can expect to see them in one of the two games, probably more towards the Saturday, the second game, but all three trained today and trained well so they look in a good place,” Howe said about Willock, Longstaff and Kelly ahead of the match.
Youngsters Miley, Jay Turner-Cooke, Cathal Heffernan, Ben Parkinson, Alfie Harrison and Trevan Sanusi featured on the bench.
Newcastle United’s confirmed line-up v Urawa Red Diamonds: Pope; Livramento, Krafth, Burn, Hall; Joelinton, Longstaff, Willock; Murphy, Barnes, Isak
Substitutes: Vlachodimos, Ruddy, Almiron, J.Miley, Turner-Cooke, Heffernan, Parkinson, Harrison, Sanusi